Client Course Description
Designed by Ted Robinson in 1969 and renovated by Rees Jones in 1996, Sahalee Country Club takes its name after the Chinook phrase “High Heavenly Ground.” The par-72 layout was carved out of the tall, majestic Cedar and Douglas Fir trees native to the Pacific Northwest and is consistently ranked among America’s greatest courses. Sahalee boasts a brand-new bunker renovation completion and was just named the host site for the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. We add this championship to our rich history of hosting major championship golf that include the 1998 PGA Championship, 2002 World Golf Championship, 2010 US Men’s Senior Open and the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Sahalee was designed by noted golf course architect Ted Robinson with later renovations by Rees Jones. It has been consistently ranked in the top 100 courses in America by Golf Digest for over 30 years. This all weather, year round course is characteristically Northwest with majestic Douglas fir, red cedar and hemlock trees lining its narrow fairways. Sahalee’s 27-holes consist of three 9-hole courses of equal caliber (the North, South and East course), any two of which can be combined to a standard 18-hole course.
Designer Notes
Sahalee Country Club, located in Redmond hosted the 1998 PGA Championship and will be hosting the 2024 KPMG Woman’s PGA Championship. The course is best known for its magnificent evergreens. However, the ever changing rolling terrain adds a great deal to the beauty and playability of this outstanding venue.
Sahalee Country Club takes its name from the Chinook phrase “High Heavenly Ground” and has long been regarded as one of the country’s most iconic courses, exemplifying golf in the Pacific Northwest. Sahalee has 27-holes of golf, consisting of three nine-hole courses of equal caliber (the North, South and East courses).
Rees Jones, Inc. has been working with Sahalee Country Club for nearly 30 years, beginning with renovations in preparation for the 1998 PGA Championship. The Championship course, a combination of the North and South courses, has since hosted the 2002 World Golf Championship, the 2010 US Men’s Senior Open and the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The Championship course at Sahalee and will also host the 2024 KPMG Woman’s PGA Championship this June.
We began developing a comprehensive Tree Management Plan for Sahalee in 2015 and implementation began soon after. Tree removal has been ongoing, with more significant removal completed during the 2022 renovation project. Through this work we have been able to showcase Sahalee’s unique and varied topography while making significant expansions to play corridors and shot options.
The par five-12th hole of the Championship course is an excellent example of these changes. The large trees obstructing play at the second landing area have been removed, allowing play to an expanded fairway approach right of the green. A new, expanded right greenside bunker protects the green from the new approach.
We began implementing the most recent Golf Course Master Plan renovation in the fall of 2022. This work, completed in February of 2023, has resulted in a transformative improvement to the strategy, playability and drama of each hole at Sahalee.
Every bunker at Sahalee has been redesigned and the transformation has been quite dramatic. The varied bunker sizes, shapes and contours have been created to make each hole unique, while also unifying the entire golf course. Bunkers have been removed, added or repositioned to showcase and accentuate the strategy and play angles. Installation of new drainage, liners and bunker sand has created enhanced playability for low and high handicappers alike. The project also included extensive drainage and irrigation improvements.
The project has also been an opportunity to widen and reposition fairway landing area and green approaches in conjunction with strategic adjustments to the ground contours.
A noticeable improvement has been the expansion of the pond on the left side of the green of the 10th hole of the Championship Course. The pond has been significantly expanded to bring it adjacent to the left front of the green, accentuating the right to left angle of the approach and protecting the left and left front hole locations.
